Persephone In The Underworld And Iris In Wonderland
by Blaith Nightshayde
Summary: Iris meets Nico di Angelo and her fate is wrapped around his. The fateful discovery of her mother leads then to believe that there's more to the gods than they want to know.


Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this here story and the character I created from my own mind!

Chapter 1

I stared dumbfounded at the guy that stood before me. He bleated nervously and knotted his hands.

"...you're...part goat?" I assessed.

"I'm Grover, and I'm a Satyr." His eyes were wide, as if he thought I'd hurt him.

"As in, Greek mythology, half goat people?" I questioned, still in shock.

"Yes," he blew out a sigh.

"And I'm a half-blood?" I questioned again, for the fourteenth time tonight.

"Yes. I don't understand why I'm here right now, I just got my Searcher's license and I really need to get going, what happened to the Satyr that was supposed to be protecting you?" Grover asked. My eyes began to tear, recalling how I'd escaped a large snake-like creature with glittery eyes and arm sized fangs, and a nasty set of claws.

"He um... I'm afraid he didn't make it," I said as I began to cry. I angrily rubbed at my eyes, scrubbing away the traces of tears in a desperate effort to stop them completely.

Grover stared at me for a moment, deep sadness permeated his gaze and I felt awful that I couldn't have done more to save the poor Satyr that had so gallantly given his life for me. His name was Daniel, and he'd been friends with me at Sainthood Academy for the last half year.

I stuck out as an easy target for bullies, seeing as I was both Dyslexic and had ADHD. He was really nice to me, always took up for me, and was a great person in general, though timid.

I can honestly say I'd probably cry for his terrible loss the moment I was alone with myself. It was horrendous to watch as the snake creature swallowed his mangled body down. I wanted to gag. Grover's voice brought me back to the present.

"What happened?"

"There was this thing, it ate him, he protected me.." Tears pricked my eyes again and I fought to keep them back.

"He did a good job, I'm glad you found me, we'll get you some place safe, it'll take a while to get there." He looked nervous. I wanted to trust him. He was good, like Daniel. I could feel it.

"Thank you," I murmured, holding back tears once more. I was acting like a baby tonight. I guess seeing someone you've gotten close to get swallowed by a giant mutant snake did that to you.

"Well, don't thank me yet, you aren't in the clear at the moment!" He bleated.

The train seemed to speed by the wilderness around us as I absently watched through the window. Grover had listened to my story about running away from the monster and we'd boarded the train immediately.

We were headed for a place called Camp Half-Blood. It was a long way from my home at Sainthood Academy. Or as I liked to call it, Sainthood Prison for Unwanted Children. It seemed harsh, but my father really did hate me, he sent me away year round simply because "I reminded him of my mother."

From what Grover told me, I understood that Daniel had been placed there for Demi-god finding purposes.

"So what were you doing at Sainthood?" Grover asked, trying to make conversation as he anxiously chewed on a stick of celery he'd gotten from the food cart.

"My father hates me, so he sends me away. Somehow I always get expelled." I said sadly.

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you." Grover reconciles.

"He told me he hated me. Because I remind him of mom." I tell him, still gazing out of the window. It was killing me to sit still for so long.

"You know your mother?" Grover sounded surprised.

"No, she left when I was 3 months old." My voice sounded pained to my own ears and it made me want to cringe.

"That's the way it always goes," he said in a sympathetic way that seemed like he was used to this news.

"Many half-bloods never see their immortal parent." He added.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"They're busy," he replied with an almost scowl.

"Oh. Do you know who my mother is?"

"There are several possibilities based on your appearance alone, but we can't really tell until she gives a sign that you are hers."

I wanted to examine my clear, pale skin, and my hair a light brown that bordered a golden chestnut, my blue eyes that were like a clear sky. I was thin, with a delicately oval face. I was pretty, but not to much. I wracked my brain for possible goddesses that could be my mother.

It saddened me that I couldn't come up with a single one.

"It's okay." Grover said. Maybe he could read my mind, like Daniel had somehow been able to do.

"Urm, Satyrs can read emotion," he blushed.

"It's okay, Daniel, the Satyr that protected me, he did that all the time." I smiled a little, remembering how he seemed to guess exactly how I was feeling.

I was jarred from my seat as the train came to a sputtering, grinding, halt in a way that only trains can do. Grover bleated -a habit I'd noticed- and sniffed the air.

"It smells like underground. Like Monsters." He whispered. I stood up quickly, Grover following close behind as I began to rapidly head for the back of the train.

"We need to go!" He whimpered urgently.

"No kidding!" I hissed back.

We managed to safely reach the door to the end of the train before I heard the thick, hissing menace that'd swallowed Daniel without a thought.

"I smell you Demi-god, I know you're here!" His tone made my skin crawl and my hair stand on end.

I was frozen. If it hasn't been for Grover urging me to open the door, I'd surely have stood there all day.

"We have to keep moving before it catches up." He urged once more. That was all I needed to pop the latch and jump from the cart, helping Grover down shortly after. We started off into the surrounding woods, heading for the direction the train was going, yet trying to stay as far away as we could.

For a while we frantically drove ourselves through the woods, but exhaustion soon took over and we began to slow to a walk. We didn't even have water.

"Food," Grover groaned. I glared daggers at him and he shut up..for the moment. We heard something smashing through the undergrowth.

"I CAN SMELL YOU HALF-BLOOD!" The Monster screamed, closing in on us. We were to exhausted to continue running, so we hid.

"You're a powerful one, yes!" The snake thing hissed loudly.

"SHOW YOURSELF SON OF HADES!"

"Son of Hades? He can't mean you, you're a girl!" Grover said with slight exasperation.

"That's good right?" I growled.

"As far as we know, there's only one son of Hades..." Grover's words trailed off as he realized that could only mean one thing.

"Do you think it's him then?" I whispered.

"Got to be," Grover said quietly.

We sat quietly in our hiding place as we listened to the Monster crash through the trees. We waited while the sound of chaos grew closer. We heard what sounded like murmuring and then the sound of clattering bones.

"Nico summoned the dead."

"He's really the son of Hades?" I whisper shouted.

"Yes."

The boy suddenly came into view, his hair was a shaggy black mess, his skin a light olive and his build was slight. The clothing he wore was dark and he seemed kind of dreary. Somehow I knew that if I looked him in the eyes, his would be an enchanting brown. I enamored with him.

His stance was almost bored as the Monster flew into sight. The dead he'd summoned attacked the beast relentlessly. Nico delivered the final blow with a dark, dangerous looking sword as the last of his dead were dissipated. I stepped out of Our hiding place, Grover a few seconds behind, and bit my lip anxiously.

"T-thank you for saving our lives," I stammered out, blushing furiously. Nico looked at us surprised.

"Is that you Grover?" He asked. Even his voice was enchanting.

"Yeah, seems as if I was stuck with a bit of trouble. One of Echidna's sons was after Iris here, he killed her Protector." Groceries quickly explained.

"Aren't you supposed to be a Searcher now?" Nico asked.

"Well yeah, but I couldn't just leave her to die," he said bashfully.

"You go, I'll take her to camp..." He reluctantly murmured.

"Are you sure? I know how much you hate it there.." Grover admitted.

"Yeah, I'll just drop her off and leave." I was a little hurt by that.

"Thanks. You aren't a burden or anything Iris, I just, I have things to do." Grover sent me a pleading look that begged me to understand. From what I'd gathered, his job was pretty important.

"It's okay. I guess I'll go with Nico." I smiled shyly at my new traveling partner. He didn't smile back, just stared.

"Should we get going?" I questioned him.

"Yeah, come on.." His words trailed off and we awkwardly started our silent trek to this alleged "Camp Half-Blood."

"So.. Your father is Hades?" I asked after about an hour of insane silence.

"Yeah, is that a problem? Want to make fun of me too?" He snarled, rounding on me.

"Not at all! I just wish I knew my mother," I said wistfully. His eyes were brown, as I'd suspected, and they were filled with sorrow, and anger.

"Why would I want to make fun of you?" I asked.

"It's not exactly good to be the son of one of the more disliked gods." He says bitterly. I rested a hand on his shoulder in a soothing manner.

"I don't care about who your father is, or any of that. I want us to be friends," I smile. I could tell that Nico wanted to believe me. I saw the desperation in his eyes. He needed friends.

"Once you find out who your mother is, you'll be just like the rest of them." He growled, jerking his arm away from me like I'd burned him.

"I promise that I won't, I'll stick with you." For some reason, the idea of leaving Nico was a painful one. He needed someone. I wanted to be that someone.

"You can't make that promise!" He whimpered. I walked up behind him and hugged him, because I felt it was the right thing to do. His body stiffened in shock, but soon it relaxed and he turned around to engulf me in a return embrace.

"Let's get walking okay Nico? Wouldn't want anything to get us," I laughed nervously. After he'd let go of me, we simply stood there and he gazed at me soulfully, as if trying to figure me out. The dark woods were kind of creeping me out.

"You're right." He conceded after a moment longer.

We seemed to keep walking forever, the woods stretching on for eternity. Suddenly, Nico stopped and gazed around.

"We're close." He says before continuing our walk. My feet ached and all I wanted to do was sit down with a pool of ice water.

"When will we be there?" I complained. I swear I saw him grin.

"Be patient." Was his only answer. We kept walking in silence after that. In my vision stood a brilliant white house. Nico grimaced.

"Welcome to Half-Blood Hill." I dually noticed the large dragon sleeping underneath a small pine tree.

"I-I-s that thing real?!" I all but shouted.

"Yes, don't wake him up." Nico scolded. I ducked my head in embarrassment and scampered after him as he strutted passed the scaly beast.

"Don't worry, he's friendly." I kept my eye on him anyway. Tucking myself into Nico's side, I followed him all through the "camp." It was beautiful. He explained every bit of it to me. I noted his bitterness when speaking of the cabins and how his father didn't get one.

"Haha! Look! Nico got himself a girlfriend!" A large, burly, very unattractive guy sneered.

"What'd you have to do, beg?" A second laughed.

"Ares kids," Nico snarled in disgust.

"Maybe we should show your girl some real men!" They laughed maliciously.

"No thanks, my boyfriend is man enough for me, besides, he's better looking than both of you Ares losers." I replied, stepping out from behind Nico. He looked at me in shock for a second before recovering.

"Yeah, you heard the woman, scram like the mutts you are." Nico smirked. They shot me a look that promised me this wasn't over.

"Why did you do that?" Nico asked, blushing slightly. It was cute.

"It's what friends do," I shrugged.

"Lets go find Chiron." Nico was still blushing.

He started dragging me to the big, white, beautiful house I'd seen earlier. I was nervous, very nervous, but my excitement over powered that.

A large half horse half man beast - centaur- stood majestically on the porch.

"Chiron, this is Iris, she's a demigod."

So far so good for the first chapter? R&R so I know to continue :) my first Percy Jackson fanfic so be gentle!


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